Michael Brown
After months of careful preparations and various misadventures, I was finally in the Chamber of Secrets.
As I followed Tom, looking at the surroundings with a long-forgotten childlike awe, I couldn't help but think that everything looked exactly like it did in my artificial memories of the movie. Two rows of mysterious snake statues lined up on either side of the path leading to the central platform, the gargantuan bald head of the long-dead racist founder made of white stone visible at the back of the chamber, the body lying in the middle of the platform...
...Well, I didn't exactly expect the last one, although I suspected that something like that would happen if Lockhart was exposed as a vessel. It certainly made sense, as Gilderoy Lockhart was a loyal follower of Tom Riddle, ready to carry out his every order with a smile on his face. That's why it didn't come as a shock to me that he would be willing to render one last service to his beloved master, sacrificing his life to bring him back to life. Nevertheless, I was a little uneasy because I already suspected how Tom would use Lockhart's death to his advantage, and I wasn't entirely comfortable with that. It was something I needed to discuss with Tom.
Speaking of Tom, the resurrected Horcrux also looked as I expected, though perhaps 'hoped' would be a better word. I was a little afraid that he would look like his version from Half-Blood Prince, but fortunately his appearance was more in line with his version from Chamber of Secrets. That's why he looked cool and charismatic, rather than like a teenage version of Damien Thorn from Omen. The boy was also noticeably older than me, about fifteen years old, which certainly made sense given the circumstances.
Unaware of my thoughts, Tom led me near the statue of the bald Salazar. Deeming the place suitable for our conversation, he took out his wand, most likely previously belonging to Lockhart, and silently cast a spell of some kind, creating a wooden table and two chairs. Grateful for his consideration, I took a seat and, after waiting for him to do the same, opened my mouth to start a conversation. I quickly realized, however, that I wasn't quite sure how to begin. This was the first time we had spoken in person, and many important events had happened since our last correspondence, so I realized that simply saying "So, what have you been up to, Tom" would be a bit too nonchalant. After a few seconds of awkward silence, I decided to simply begin with a topic that had been bothering me since seeing Lockhart's corpse.
"So, Tom..." I began uncertainly, causing the boy to look at me with gratitude in his eyes. While Tom was a charismatic young man, able to manipulate the people around him with ease, he was probably not used to speaking sincerely, so starting an honest conversation was most likely difficult for him as well "I know this is probably a little out of the blue, but what do you plan to do with Lockhart's body?"
"I haven't given it much thought. I will probably just dump him somewhere in the castle and plant some evidence to make everyone think he is the true heir of Slytherin. Why?" Although Tom seemed a bit surprised by the topic, he answered honestly, confirming my suspicions. His face then turned slightly hesitant "Do you perhaps have any concerns about what happened to Lockhart?"
"What? No, of course not. Without his sacrifice you wouldn't have been able to come to life. I don't see a problem with what happened" I replied. Lockhart voluntarily gave his life to fuel Tom's resurrection, so complaining about his fate would be in poor taste. Instead, his death should be celebrated because his end was noble and selfless. Tom smiled upon hearing my words, visibly relieved. He was probably afraid that I would not understand. It was not easy to accept someone's death as necessary, especially as a child. Fortunately for him, I was not a normal child "I just wouldn't want him to be found dead after being hit by Luna's spell. Lockhart had been severely injured already, so it would look like Luna's expelliarmus made him too weak to heal and he died from blood loss. That would certainly make Luna feel guilty, and I don't want that."
Tom looked at me in silence for a while, visibly giving some thoughts to my words, before giving me a light nod.
"I think I can make it look like Lockhart escaped from Hogwarts. It certainly won't be as convincing as his corpse, but at least it will make the Ministry more paranoid about future attacks..." After these words, Tom put his hand on his chin and began stroking it, apparently having an idea. He continued talking, though it was more like mumbling to himself than a real conversation: "I still have some of the polyjuice potion I stole from those children earlier. I could appear in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley to alert everyone... and if I harvested his body and took as much material as possible, I could use his identity for years, using it to make Lockhart take the blame for some of my more extreme actions, allowing me to act in peace... international forces would focus on a known fugitive, so they wouldn't look too closely at Britain, more interested in looking for Lockhart in Peru or Sweden... Yes, it could work... I just need to..."
Tom was so absorbed in his musings that only after a while did he remember that he was not alone in the chamber. When he did, he looked at me with a wry smile, clearly embarrassed by his conduct.
"I apologize for my behavior. I think I got a little too caught up in my thoughts." he declared, somewhat apologetic.
"It's not a problem at all. I think it's admirable that you are so focused on your mission," I replied. The fact that he was devoting so much thought to his activities was a good sign. I had no doubt that he would be as good a freedom fighter as his original "I can't wait to see you in action. I'm sure we'll be able to liberate the wizarding world in no time."
"We?" Tom asked confused, as if only now realizing that I was planning to join him. Why? Wasn't it obvious that we were going to work together to overthrow the ministry? Why was he making such a conflicted face? "I...don't think you going with me would be a good idea. You're just an 11-year-old boy with almost no knowledge of magic. Involving you in my activities would be irresponsible"
"I don't think it's a problem. You can just teach me along the way, right?" I asked with some desperation in my voice. I had worked so hard to join him, and now he was rejecting my help? It wasn't fair.
"Unfortunately, it's not something I can do on the side, especially while fighting against the Ministry. For the time being, it's better if you stay at Hogwarts. I know it's an inherently corrupt institution, designed to control the population from behind the scenes, but at least it will provide you with the necessary education and knowledge of various aspects of magic. You'll need it if you're going to support me in my fight against the Ministry." Tom said, making me frown. His words were certainly reasonable, as I wouldn't be able to accomplish much in my current state, but it still didn't feel good to be left behind. Noticing my expression, Tom continued "Besides, it's not like you're not helping me already"
"What? What do you mean?" I asked with certain confusion. I hadn't done much so far, mostly trying to reunite with Tom. How was I helping?
"I'm talking about your lectures. You may not have taken any direct action against the Ministry yet, but you are already undermining its position with your speeches. They are slowly changing students' mindsets, making them more resistant to the Ministry's lies. I may have scared a few people, but you are single-handedly creating a new, open-minded generation that is more willing to disagree with the Ministry's oppressive policies. What you are doing is extremely important, Michael. Trust me," said Tom with a gentle smile on his face "When you graduate from Hogwarts, I'll gladly take you on as my second in command, but it's not time yet. Do you understand?"
"That's...Yes, I understand," I replied, sighing in defeat. I knew Tom was right and I wasn't ready, but it still hurt me. Nevertheless, I took comfort in the fact that Tom considered my actions important. That meant a lot from the mouth of young Lord Voldemort. Still, even if it was true, I knew I should give him some additional support for his plans "I will stay at Hogwarts, but can I give you some advice, like friend to friend?"
"Of course" Tom said simply. Hearing that I braced myself and spoke.
"Well, I know something that might interest you. Do you know the location of the Gaunt family house?" I asked. Although revealing my knowledge was risky, Tom already knew that I knew more than I should, so I saw no reason to hide anything from him. I obviously wouldn't tell him about the reincarnation/conspiracy/simulation thing, as I doubted he would take it well, but I saw nothing wrong with giving him a little edge. Seeing him nod, I continued "After you have completed your other tasks, I strongly encourage you to visit it. I can't tell you exactly how I know it, or if the information is even correct, but you should find a very unique ring there..."
We spent the next hour talking about various topics, some more important, some less so. We both learned a lot, which made it time well spent, but unfortunately it was soon time for Tom to leave. Since Luna and Marcus had probably already told the faculty about Lockhart, Tom had to plant false evidence as soon as possible and frame Lockhart for his crimes. We both knew that Dumbledore would show up immediately after finding out about the whole situation, so time was of the essence in this case. We also knew that I shouldn't spend too much time in the Chamber of Secrets, since the teachers were most likely already looking for me.
Therefore, after only an hour together, it was time for us to part ways again, promising to meet once again in the summer. I left the chamber with a heavy heart (or more accurately, I was carried out of it by Tom's spell) and started walking around the school, hoping that one of the teachers would find me.
It wasn't until Professor McGonagall found me, accompanied by a very worried Luna and Marcus, and I handed her my camera, that I realized the terrible, irreversible mistake I had made in the Chamber of Secrets.
I forgot to ask Tom to show me the hydra!